Russian foreign minister holds talk with Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi

“I’m glad to be here again. Vietnam is an important partner of Russia in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),” Lavrov said when meeting Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on Wednesday.

He said the world’s parties “need to protect international law and national sovereignty” in the context of the complicated world situation, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Lavrov pays a two-day visit to Vietnam on Tuesday at the invitation of Son. The visit takes place at a time when the two nations are marking the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Vietnam and the then Soviet Union established diplomatic relations in 1950.

Russia, the latter’s successor state, and Vietnam elevated it into a strategic partnership in 2001 and into a comprehensive strategic partnership 11 years later.

Relations between the two have been strengthened. Bilateral trade was worth $7.1 billion last year following a 25 percent jump from 2020. Russia has 151 projects in Vietnam with total investment of more than $950 million.

During his visit to Russia from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 last year, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc joined his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to issue a joint statement on the vision of the comprehensive strategic partnership until 2030, which seeks cooperation in all fields.